Just being an heirloom often adds them into the oddity class, but in amongst the very long lists are some truly unique tomato novelties that you will want to have the tomato seeds of, to grow for next year. I wish to show you some from my collection of keepers. You too, could soon have your very own collection of heirloom tomato seed 'keepers'.This group is just a few of the many good tomatoes that many do not know exist. Give it a go and grow two new ones each year until you have your own keepers.

Kellogg's Breakfast tomato is a big beefsteak tomato of golden yellow when ripe. It is juicy and tasty with small seed cavities making a good solid slice. Not the traditional red but sure brightens up a meal with gold, some red, and some pink tomatoes all on one tomato platter. I will always keep this one. It is not a greenhouse tomato, but I grew it inside the greenhouse planted in the soil floor and tied up to 5 ft high. It required a bit of pruning and gave us tomatoes on into October for our table. I was able to have my own fresh tomatoes two months longer than a normal year in garden.

Opalka Novelty Heirloom Tomato

Take, for instance, OPALKA heirloom which is a pasta type tomato originating in Poland. It can look like a banana pepper rather than a tomato. Have a look at the picture. It is, however, often more pregnant looking, like an acorn squash shape. I only had four plants the first year and got a bushel of tomatoes. They were given away to a friend who raved about their culinary use, (she made salsa). "Can I get Opalka tomato seeds from you (answer is yes here) or have you grow some plants for me"? So, I reply "sure I will save some seeds to grow some plants for you next spring". Because they are so large and have so few seeds and a large proportion of thick flesh, they make canning faster and easier for everyone. They also have good cooking or fresh eating taste. I always try to encourage friends to garden more as everything is so much fresher, better tasting and so satisfying since you grew your own dinner.

Some others pictured are GREEN GRAPE, a small plum size tomato. BLACK MARBLE, a small tomato that looks dark green when ripe, but cut open reveals the black deep red look. It is strictly a gourmet salad or delicious hand eating variety as it does not cook well but is leathery and tough after cooking.

You can get the varieties that Italian ladies made their famous pasta sauces from. You can have orange tomatoes, pink tomatoes, zebra striped tomatoes, green tomatoes, sausage shape tomatoes, Heart shape tomatoes, tomatoes with varigated leaves, and the list goes on into the hundreds.

This is why, I suggest you try at least two new heirloom varieties each year, until you find a number of keepers that you and your family like. Novelties make good conversation pieces, if the listener is interested in food or gardening.

Learn how to save seeds and you will have novelties, oddities, and very tasty and attractive good eating from your garden.

Ananas Noir (Black Pineapple) novelty tomato truly is unique as a sliced tomato from the time it first appears to look ripe it looks different sliced on your plate with a multitude of colors showing up on any one slice. Yellow, purple, red, pink, orange, green, all on one slice.

Black Russian Truffle doesn't look quite ripe but when cut open is a dark blood red soft delicious flesh inside. Black Russian Truffle makes great tomato soup too.

Happy Gardening to you and in the mean time you will find Harold among his daylilies.